The Relationship Between Proactive Personality Traits and Care Behaviors of Nursing Students in the Pandemic Process

Background: Nursing students, who resumed face-to-face education with the decline in Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic effects, face difficulties adapting to clinical environments, which impacts their care behaviors.

Aim: The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between nursing students’ proactive personality traits and care behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted with 193 nursing students studying at a university in Türkiye between March 21 and June 1, 2022. Data were collected using a personal information form, the Caring Behaviors Inventory-24, and the Proactive Personality Scale. Descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis test, Spearman correlation coefficient, and multiple linear regression analysis were used in the analysis of the data.

Results: The mean age of nursing students was 21.1 ± 1.77 years, and 70.5% of them were female. Mean scores on the total Proactive Personality Scale and Caring Behaviors Inventory-24 were 54.8 ± 10.7 and 5.01 ± 0.80, respectively. The variables examined for the Caring Behaviors Inventory-24 explained approximately 29% of the total variance (R2=0.29, F=11.213, P < 0.001). It was determined that the level of proactive personality traits varied according to factors related to vocational education such as “role model instructor” and “choosing the profession willingly”.

Conclusion: The results of this study showed that proactive personality traits were effective in caring behaviors. Although maintaining optimal care is related to the proactive aspects of nurses, the impact of policies on the quality of care provided by nurses should not be forgotten, and ways to develop and implement policies that will support their professional service should be sought.